PDCA - One Blog

Welcome to the first Dexter cattle blog to disseminate information for members of the Purebred Dexter Cattle Association of North America (PDCA) and for those with a curiosity about Irish Dexter cattle, cattle in general, as well as news from the PDCA. Expressions of opinion are to not be regarded as expressing the official opinion of the PDCA unless expressly stated. Hopefully you will find something here of interest and don't overlook browsing through the archives. Comments are welcomed.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Region 4 PDCA Show

The 6th annual show will held in conjunction with the McHenry Highland Festival, at McHenry, Maryland, on Saturday June 2, 2007. Show time 2:00 pm. Dexter talk and Celtic fun all day.

See the festivals website: www.highlandfest.infoMcHenry, Md., is in Garrett County, the western most county of Maryland, on top of the Eastern Continental Divide. We usually have cool weather in early June. The Garrett County Fairgrounds are on US 219, South of I-68, between Morgantown, WV and Cumberland, Md.

I encourage Dexter breeders and friends to attend and bring some critters. We are provided with a nice barn near all the other Celtic activity, RV sites and about 5,000 to 6,000 festival visitors who come thought the see the "tidy little cows" (a name given my Dexter cows by a festival visitor 7 years ago). We will have PDCA banners and brochures. Judge Jim Johnson will share his vast experience with the Dexter breed. Region 4 Area Manager John Colhoun will be Ringmaster.

Dexter exhibitors are provided with free passes to the festival, I will need conformation of your bringing cattle and number of passes required by May 18th so I can mail same. When confirming, indicate the number of animals you plan to bring. I can supply advance festival tickets at $10.00 for our friends and PDCA members not bringing cattle.

This show is a lot of fun and a good exposure to a lot of visitors from the mid-Atlantic area. Come and help us show-off our Dexter's. We need a lot of experienced Dexter folks to explain the breeds fine points to the public.

Contact: Tom Donaldson, Phone: 304-735-3102 or 240-321 -1312 Email: hollifieldfarm@myway.comHope to see you all on June 2nd! Tom Donaldson

PS: Maryland Animal Health requires a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for both instate and out of state cattle. Your local Vet can supply you with same and just bring the certificates with the cows. A Maryland Dept. of Animal Health Representative will check the animals and certificates on Saturday morning. Cattle can come in on Friday and stay through Sunday.

Monday, April 09, 2007

"Calves beef up the interest at old farm"

The Journal - UK'Down on the Bede's World farm, two new additions are making history.

Chad and Wilfred are a pair of calves with a lot to live up to - they'll be following in the hoof-prints of the only working oxen in the North.

The Dexter cattle will be taught to plough the land using traditional medieval methods, continuing the farm's aim of creating an authentic working Anglo-Saxon farm.The 10-month-old calves have been officially named, after visiting children voted for Chad and Wilfred from a shortlist of 7th Century names.

Chad and Wilfred were both Northumbrian saints, but their new namesakes are anything but.

The Dexter breed are notoriously hard to train, but having already succeeded in training the old boys on the farm, Edwin and Oswin, farm manager Christine Fitzgerald has high hopes for the ploughing protégés. She said: "When we're selecting new animals I always look for a good temperament and these calves are very well-handled.

"We use this breed because they are so similar to what the Anglo-Saxons would have used. They're a naturally small breed.

"They are definitely more difficult to train than other cattle, let's just say that they're characters."

The veterans of the farm, Edwin and Oswin, have been at Bede's World, near Jarrow, for 10 years and have become proficient ploughers, having been built up into the bodybuilders of the oxen world.

The new twosome, who will take over when the old guard retire, will not be able to start heavy training for at least two years when they're strong enough, but they're already getting used to life on the farm.'